What song best describes our times under the reign of the Flim-Flam Man?

That's what I call * now.

For me, it has to be:

Eve Of Destruction
By Barry McGuire, 1965


The eastern world it tis explodin',
violence flarin', bullets loadin',
you're old enough to kill but not for votin',*
you don't believe in war, what's that gun you're totin',
and even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
but you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?
Can't you see the fear that I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be noone to save with the world in a grave,
take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
but you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Yeah, my blood's so mad, feels like coagulatin',
I'm sittin' here, just contemplatin',
I can't twist the truth, it knows no regulation,
handful of Senators don't pass legislation,
and marches alone can't bring integration,
when human respect is disintegratin',
this whole crazy world is just too frustratin',
and you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China!
Tehn take a look around to Selma, Alabama!
Ah, you may leave here, for four days in space,
but when your eturn, it's the same old place,
the poundin' of the drums, th pride and disgrace,
you can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace,
hate your next-door-neighbour, but don't forget to say grace,
and you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction

In 1965, the voting age was 21. In 1971, the 26th Amendment changed it to 18. (Gee, did Vietnam have any effect on this?)

The song was written by P.F. Sloan, not Barry McGuire.

Sloan also wrote Secret Agent man and a huge number of other hits before unscrupulous business associates bled him white.

Sloan has been performing again, and has a page on MP3 dot com and a web home page at http://www2.gol.com/users/davidr/sloan/

Flip Sloan is one of the greats. Always had it, always will.

--p!

put SUNG by BM. Did you know that Dyland recorded it too?

Now I know why!

A couple of them were minor hits, too.

--p!

These bastards stole their power from the victims of the Us v. Them years,
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into the trickle down runoff pool
They hypnotised the summer, 1979
Marched into the capital brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready,
Heartless, and labeled. Super US citizen, super achiever,
Mega ultra power dosing. Relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense. Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah

The information nation took their clues from all the sound-bite gluttons
1980, 84, 88, 92 too, too
How to be what you can be, jump jam junking your energies
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes
They amplified the autumn, 1979
Calculate the capital, up the republic my skinny ass
TV tells a million lies. The paper's terrified to report
Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon,
I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this. So, fuck you, man (fuck 'em)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland
If they weren't there we would have created them. Maybe, it's true,
But I'm resentful all the same. Someone's got to take the blame
I know that this is vitriol. No solution, spleen-venting,
But I feel better having screamed. Don't you?
They desecrated winter, 1979
Capital collateral. Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready,
Heartless, and labeled. Super US citizen, super achiever,
Mega ultra power dosing. Relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense. Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, ignoreland. Yeah, yeah, yeah
I did not do the revolution
Thank you

skinny ass" it sounds like "CBS TV tells a million lies".

Captian Beyond; I'm not sure the lyrics fit, but the title sez it all.

Minutes seem like days
Since fire ruled the sky
The rich became the beggars
And the fools became the wise
Memories linger in my brain
Of burning from the acid rain
A pain I never have won

Nothing here remains
No future and no past
No one could foresee
The end that came so fast
Hear the prophet make his guess
That paradise lies to the west
So join his quest for the sun

Shades of death are all I see
Fragments of what used to be

The world slowly decays
Destruction fills my eyes
Harboring the image
Of a spiraling demise
Burning winds release they fury
Simulating judge and jury
Drifting flurries of pain

Deafening silence reigns
As twilight fills the sky
Eventual supremacy
Daylight waits to die
Darkness always calls my name
A pawn in this recurring game
Humanity going insane

Shades of death are all I see
Fragments of what used to be

Minutes seem like days
Corrosion fills the sky
Morbid dreams of anarchy
Brought judgment in disguise
Memories linger in my brain
Life with nothing more to gain
Perpetual madness remains

Shades of death are all I see
Skeletons of society
Fragments of what used to be
Skeletons of society

Music And Lyrics By Kerry King
Performed By Slayer

We're setting sail
To the place on the map
From which no one has ever returned
Drawn by the promise of the joker and the fool
By the light of the crosses that burn
Drawn by the promise of the women and the lace
And the gold and the cotton and pearls
It's the place where they keep all the darkness you need
You sail away from the light of the world
On this trip, baby

You will pay tomorrow
You gonna pay tomorrow
You will pay tomorrow

Save me
Save me from tomorrow
I don't want to sail in this ship of fools
Save me
Save me from tomorrow
I don't want to sail in this ship of fools

I want to run and hide
Right now...

Avarice and greed
Are gonna drive you over the endless sea
They will leave you drifting in the shallows
Or drowning in the oceans of history
Traveling the world
You're in search of no good
But I'm sure you'll build your Sodom
Like you knew you would
Using all the good people
For your galley slaves
As your little boat struggles
Through the warning waves

But you don't pay
You will pay tomorrow
You gonna pay tomorrow
You gonna pay tomorrow

Where's it coming from?
Where's it going to?
It's just a ship of fools...

Here we go...
All aboard...

just as appropriate today as "back in the day":

People moving out,
People moving in.
why, because of the color of their skin
run, run, run but you sho' can't hide

An eye for an eye,tooth for a tooth,
vote for me and I'll set you free
rap on, brother, rap on

The only person talking about love thy brother is the preacher
and it seems
nobody's interested in learning
but the teacher

segregation, determination, demonstration, intergration,
Aggravation, humiliation, obligation to our nation

Ball of confusion, oh yeah
That's what the world is today, hey hey

The sale of pills are at an all time high
young folks walking round with their heads in the sky
the cities ablaze in the summertime, and oh
the beat goes on

evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul
shooting rockets to the moon
kids growing up too soon
politicians say more taxes, will solve everything
and the band played on

So, round and around and around we go
where the world's headed, nobody knows

Oh, Great Googamooga, can't you hear me talking to you
just a ball of confusion, oh yeah
that's what the world is today, hey hey

Fear in the air, tension everywhere
unemployment rising fast, the Beatles new record's a gas
and the only safe place to live, is on an indian reservation
and the band played on

Eve of destruction, tax deduction
city inspectors, bill collectors
mod clothes in demand,
population out of hand,
suicide, too many bills
hippies moving to the hills
people all over the world are shouting end the war
and the band played on

Oh, Great Googamooga, can't you hear me talking to you
just a ball of confusion,
that's what the world is today, hey